The university has enhanced the existing Student Recreation Center so that it can serve the entire Vanderbilt community, adding upgrades that include expanded weight training, cardiovascular and fitness areas and multipurpose spaces. A four-lane bowling alley has been added to both support the university’s varsity bowling team and provide a new recreational activity. The center also includes a swimming pool and several basketball, squash and racquetball courts and offers multiple group fitness classes.

The new center is consistent with the trend on many college campuses of combined recreation facilities that serve students, faculty and staff. It has been funded by a combination of philanthropy and university investment.

Expanded hours, a demonstration kitchen that can host seminars on topics such as preparing healthy meals, expanded fitness class offerings and a Smoothie King are also among the new amenities.

Hours at the facility will be from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday; from 5 a.m. to midnight on Friday; from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday; and from noon to 11 p.m. on Sunday.

There will be two tiers of membership for the facility. For $20 per month, members can purchase a “basic” membership that provides access to the facility anytime except 3 to 9 p.m. Monday-Friday. For $30 per month, members can purchase a “premium” membership and use the facility anytime during its normal hours of operation. Spouse/family memberships also will be available. Community memberships will be available at a fee of $45 per month.

Parking for the facility will be available in Lot 75A with a registered Vanderbilt parking permit. Two hours of free parking also will be available in designated spaces along Children’s Way.

Faculty and staff will be able to use their “Go for the Gold” wellness credit of up to $20 per month for membership at the Recreation and Wellness Center. To use the wellness credit, visit the front desk of the new center, where you will be able to designate the credit for membership purchase.

Those who wish to continue to use their “Go for the Gold” wellness credit for health care expenditures can separately purchase a yearly membership at the front desk of the center. Payroll deduction will be an option for purchasing membership.

Memberships for the new center may be purchased now and will become effective in January 2014.

The new facility does look nice, no doubt about it, but as a Vanderbilt employee I feel a bit mislead as this is the first mention of a paid membership requirement that I have seen. I have enjoyed taking advantage of the Health Plus facilities, as I know others have, and I am disappointed to be losing that benefit.

Thomas

I’ll echo Bretts comments here. Vanderbilt used to be a place where you came to work for the stability and great benefits because the pay was never going to keep up with other places. It was a fair trade. Now as Leadership looks to cut as much of those benefits as possible, this is just another example of cost shifting to the backs of the employees. Parking rates increasing seemingly every year, paying to use the wellness center, changing health plans every few years and then rates go up and the coverage goes down, no pay raises, forced layoffs/chumped up firings are all examples of how little the Vanderbilt Leadership cares about their employees. Sad really for an institution that has a 5 billion dollar endowment that they feel like squeezing every dollar from the people that truly provide the care that Vanderbilt receives the much ballyhooed accolades for.